The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1887-03-24
For the Eaton Democrat.
THE

Causes that Brought it About. 8
The Great Struggle FOL Lib. 4
crty aEh the Effects Of
the Same. :
We as a nation have existed a
little over no years. One hundred
and ten years since first we came
to think and to act upon the belief
that these Omitted Colonies are and
of a right ought to be free and in
dependent States," as introduced
by Arthur Lee, June 18th, 1773, and
which passed July I'd, 1776. A
question which was said to be one
of the greatest questions that has
ever been debated by a people but
after a thorough discussion, those
Sc men, July 4th, bound themselves
together into a political compact,
which pressed upon them SO heav-
lily that it was liberty or death, as
Franklin remarked upon one occa-
sion-"We must all hang together
or else we will hang separately F"
because if they should have failed
in their attempt to gain the end for
which they SO mutually pledged
themselves, there would have been
no punishment too great for that
tyrannic young King to have in
fiicted upon them. But by their
iron will and powers of persuasion
they came out victorious in the
end, though the colonists had to
endure many hardships and priva-
lions. In the first place England
had been imposing taxes upon the
colonists and legislating to their
disadvantage for a long time, and
as time passed on the colonies pros
pered, the population increased, the
settlements became more stronger,
more thoroughly united, and more
intelligent in every respect.
From the first settlement of this
country the British government
had treated the inhabitants ofthese
colonies as a distinct and subordi-
nate class of subjects, and consid-
cred their interests entirely sub
s~ervient to the elevation of the
mother country; and after the
French and Indian war;" they be-
gan to exercise an undue authority
and to interfere in their civil con-
Germs in a manner that excited the
most alarm. For in this war it
cost the colonies sixteen million
dollars, of which the British gov
eminent only paid five Million
And not only that, but it cost them
the lives of thirty thousand of their
, men, and suffered all the horrors
of Indian cruelty. But they also
gained much. They had learned
e e to fight, and to think and to act in.
dependently of the mother coun
! try. A love of liberty began te
dawn. They were more united, anc
the ill treatment by the British gov
!, eminent only served to strengthen
! them. Many able and daring mer
1 had been trained to fight, who af
e terward Inundated the proud reg
ulars of George III. And again
: the English government claimed
the right of taxing the colonies il
S order to tighten her own heav,
e debt, which she contracted durin!
e the French and Indian war, but tn
: colonists denied this right; the,
! claimed that taxation and repre-
sentation was inseparable, and tina
they were not safe if their propert,
could be taken from them withou
their consent.
: The "Stamp Act" was passed il
;. 1855, requiring a heavy duty to b
paid upon all legal documents
newspapers, pamphlets, &c. A
S the time this act was passed BeEja
min Franklin, who was then il
London, wrote to Charles ThomI
son, afterwards Secretary of tn
Continental Congress: THE su:
of liberty is set, the American
II must light the lamps of industr
and economy" to which Nj
Thompson replied "Be assured W
shall light torches quite of anothe
sort" Frightened by the hostil
: demonstrations Of the colonists tn
y STAMP Act" was repealed the mex
year.
"Boston Port Bill" passed 1774
effectually destroying the bushes
o of New England merchants, an
the "Mutiny Act" the same yea.
70 requiring the colonists to provid
=. quarters while stationed anon
them. These oppressive measure
were preceded by the "Navigatio
d Act" in 1861, as passed by parlis
+ ment, securing the whole monope
~ ly Of the carrying trade to Eng
" land, and also by the "Writs of A
), sistance," empowering the holde
n to invade any ones premises an
= search for contraband goods. A
/. of these proceedings had ii tender
u cy to cause the bitterest animosit
70 towards England. And as the n,
gotiations were in progress betwee
the two countries trying to arriI
at some means by which the col,
nists might be satisfied, the Leaf
ing men of the country began /
n study the condition of affairs, an
ID to see that they were drifting fas
Y, er towards independence than the
u had thought, and to study the bel
lie efits to be derived from it for i
If the first place they dreamed not
n independence, they scorned the yer
is idea, and no doubt when Patric
1T Henry made his thrilling denunc
l. atory speech in the Virginia A.
r sembly, when he said Caesar ha
it his Brutus, Charles the 1st hi
n Cromwell, and George III-hel
Dausirp q moment until the cry r